Four events on at the National Library

The Team from Alexander Turnbull Library

Below are the next Four events on at the National Library. Due to COVID-19 some of our events can be cancelled or postponed at very short notice. Please check the website for updated information about individual events before you come.

“Five years and 359 days with the 2nd NZ Division”
Date: Thursday 27 August 2020, 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Cost: No charge. Koha from non-members appreciated
Location: Taiwhanga Kahau — Auditorium, National Library Wellington. Entrance on Aitken Street.
In her book ‘Eddie Norman and 25 Battalion’, Elizabeth Kay covers the journey of 2 NZ Division as it fought its way across North Africa and through Italy. Using letters written by her father, Sir Edward Norman, and extensive further research, it tells a personal story in the wider context of WWII.

‘A real war job at last?’ Māori women and the armed forces during the Second World War
Date: Wednesday 2 September 2020, 12:10pm to 1pm
Cost: Free event
Location: Taiwhanga Kahau — Auditorium, National Library Wellington. Entrance on Aitken Street.
Of the many books published about New Zealand’s military history there are none specifically dedicated to the story of Māori women who served in the armed forces during the Second World War. This presentation looks at the recruitment of Māori women into the auxiliary services, why they joined, and how their wartime service impacted on their post-war lives.

Whispers of gold: a film about a West Coast town that refused to die
Date: Friday 4 September 2020, 12:10pm to 1pm
Cost: Free event. Bookings are essential.
Location: Taiwhanga Kahau — Auditorium, National Library Wellington. Entrance on Aitken Street.
A documentary describing life in the now-abandoned West Coast gold-mining town of Waiuta. Having been screened at many venues in the South Island, this showing will be the Wellington premiere.

Tupu’anga (mo e Teu Tangata)
Date: Wednesday 9 September 2020, 12:10pm to 1pm
Cost: Free event.
Location: Programme Rooms, Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon, Wellington
Part of the Pasifika Spectacular series
Come and hear a talanoa of family stories from three generations of Sarah Finau’s family. This talk is an exploration of the call to live in Aotearoa, and the ever-constant magnetic pull home — ki Tonga.

Image: Māori member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force playing the guitar during a musical hour. PR128a, New Zealand Air Force Museum, Christchurch.